With nothing left, he could no longer resist the call and break free of the darkness. The living green welcomed him as he nestled in deeper. He’d wake...later.

CHAPTER 20

The Skeleton King smiled, revealing brown teeth that had been sharpened into points. The crown of bones rested on a nest of messy black and gray hair. Light green eyes studied me from a pale, gaunt face. Fear ignited in my chest. Heat flashed over my skin as sweat beaded.

“Such a fuss over you,” the Skeleton King said, moving closer. “Sepp is dead and Wynn is frozen. Such a surprise.”

A rancid odor filled the space between us. I suppressed the urge to gag. He reached for my hair with thick skeletal fingers—his hands the only part of him not protected by his bone armor. Revulsion coated my throat with bile. Stepping back, I bumped into one of my guards. She grabbed my shoulders, anchoring me in place.

The king stroked my cheek; I batted his arm away. His smile faded as he gazed behind me, tilting his head a fraction.

The guards pushed me against the big center post and yanked my arms up. In a heartbeat, they had secured the manacle’s chain to a hook above my head. I stood on tiptoe. The other officers in the tent exchanged queasy glances. Not good.

He pulled a knife with a bone handle from his belt. “This will be simple. I have questions. You have answers. Play nice and you’ll be able to walk back to your tent.”

My gaze jumped from the weapon to him. He was at least six inches taller than me. A crazed gleam lit his eyes. “And if I don’t?”

“You’ll be dinner.” The Skeleton King flashed his sharp teeth, exposing black gums.

Just when I thought no one could possibly be worse than Tohon, here stood the Skeleton King to prove me wrong.

“First question. Who froze Wynn?”

Oh, no. I wouldn’t endanger Flea. “Sepp did before we killed him.”

“Wrong answer.”

I braced as his knife slashed toward my left arm. But no pain burned. Instead, ripping fabric sounded. The Skeleton King had cut away the sleeve of my shirt, exposing my skin. He leaned forward and bit my forearm.

I gasped with surprise. His teeth sank into my skin, stopping only when he reached bone. Pain shot up my arm along with nausea. He sucked the blood, slurping as if enjoying a juicy steak. My stomach churned and every inch of me shuddered with revulsion.

Releasing my arm, he licked his lips. “You taste like vanilla and anise. Yum. Who froze Wynn?”

When I refused to answer, he bit me again. This time near my elbow. Unable to contain the horror over such a vile act, I yelled. And I continued to shriek as he kept asking and I kept refusing to answer. Each bite increased my terror.

A small part of my mind viewed his torture logically. It was just pain. Nothing else. However, the rest of my senses scattered in a primal panic, and I knew I’d cave in eventually.

After the Skeleton King finished my left arm, he started on the right. When he reached my shoulder, I shouted in desperation, “Ask me another question.”

He paused. My blood stained the chest of his bone armor. “Can you kill Tohon like Wynn claimed?”

An easy one. “No. He knows all my tricks.”

“Correct. How do you stop his dead soldiers?”

Was this another test? “With Death Lily toxin.”

He squinted at me as if trying to read my thoughts. “And only you can harvest this toxin?”

“Yes.”

“Will you harvest it for me?”

“No.”

“Why not? I will stop the dead. Good for all.”

“But you can also use it against us.”

“What if I promised not to?”

I coughed out a laugh. “I trust you about as much as I trust Tohon.”

“No need to worry about Tohon. His days as king are nearing the end.”

Doubtful. But I kept that thought to myself. No need to upset the psychopath.

“Next question. Where is Prince Ryne?”

“I don’t know.”

“Wrong answer.” He sliced my shirt, ripping right through the buttons. Tugging my undershirt away from my skin, he rested the knife on the collar.

A vision of the bite marks on Private Tori’s br**sts flashed in my mind. “In the north,” I blurted. “He went north. I don’t know where.”

The Skeleton King smiled. “Chasing Cellina’s skirt. Good. Now, back to the first question. Which one of your five friends is the death magician?”

“Uh, sire?” one of the officers interrupted. “It won’t be difficult to determine that on our own.”

“Difficult, no, but not as much fun.” In one swift movement, he pulled the blade through my undershirt. The Skeleton King cupped my right breast. “Last chance.”

Determined not to expose Flea, I closed my eyes and concentrated on an image of Flea shooting me one of his lopsided grins. Agony from the first bite shattered the vision. All the others that followed erased every last piece. My throat burned from screaming as my skin crawled. I pressed against the wooden post and twisted, but was unable to escape the torture.

The torment stopped...sometime. Pain pulsed throughout my chest, stomach, and arms. My body felt like a chew toy for an ufa.

Having no desire to see the damage, I kept my eyes squeezed shut. Whispers sounded and a rustling of footsteps. Dizzy from blood loss, I drew in deep breaths. Waiting for the next attack proved difficult. To keep sane, I debated if this had been worse than when Tohon had zapped me with his magic. I decided that while the pain was equal, the whole biting thing made this intolerable. Who would have thought I’d miss Tohon? Not me.